Using A Primary Password; Using An Administrator Password - Dell Inspiron 3800 System Reference Manual

Passwords and Security: Dell Inspiron 3800 System Reference

Using a Primary Password

The primary password allows you to protect the computer from unauthorized access.
After assigning a primary password, you must enter it each time you turn on your computer.
The following message appears each time you turn on the computer:
Please type in the primary or administrator password and press
<Enter>.
To continue, type your password and press <Enter>.
NOTE: If no password is entered within 2 minutes, the computer returns to its
previous state.
If you have assigned an administrator password, you can use it instead of the primary
password. The computer does not specifically prompt you for the administrator password.
NOTICE: If you disable the administrator password, the primary password is
also disabled.

Using an Administrator Password

The administrator password is designed to give system administrators or service technicians in
large companies access to computers for repair or reconfiguration. The administrators or
technicians can assign identical administrator passwords to groups of computers as they are
unpacked and configured, leaving the primary password free to be assigned by the user.
When you set an administrator password, the Configure Setup option becomes available in
the System Setup program. The Configure Setup option allows you to restrict access to the
System Setup program in the same way a system password restricts access to the system.
The administrator password can be used in place of the primary password. Whenever you are
prompted to enter the primary password, you can enter the administrator password instead.
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